E3 2010 big loser - PSP

Man... I can't believe what callous neglect everyone is showing the PSP this E3.

The only announcement seems to be:

"that 70 PSP games will be released "between now and December."

That's it. No details on WHAT most of the games will be (besides Patapon 3).... or anything. 70 games *should* sound awesome. But here's where I think that it goes south in a big way:

• How many of those 70 games are PSP Minis? How many of them are not only PSP Minis, but PORTS of iPhone games or whatnot?
  
  
• How many of those games are movie tie-ins that are put on every console anyway?
  
  
• How many of those games are Japan-exclusive?
  

What if like 50 of the 70 games are PSP Minis or movie tie-ins? That would be a SUCKY 70 games list, wouldn't it?

Sure, we know that God of War: Ghosts of Sparta is in development, and there may be a few other high profile PSP games as well. But the bulk of that 70? PSP minis, or movie tie-ins... or Japanese exclusives that we'll never see here....

Where's the LIST of those "70 PSP games"? The 3DS has a list of upcoming games at least. Don't just announce "there's 70 PSP games coming kthanxbai".

And not getting any announcement of a PSP2..... that just feels like a REALLY BAD sign. You know the end of the movie Se7en where Morgan Freeman's character is all set to retire, but he can't? That's where I feel like that's where the PSP is right now. A dead horse. But I'm not saying that it's not still a good platform-- I use my PSPgo every day (mostly to watch taped TV shows)-- and there's still some joy in the system playing the best PSP games of the past. Just not anything new.

By not announcing a PSP2, Sony is basically saying that they have no idea how to counter Nintendo's handheld strategy. They have no answer to the 3DS. And looking at some of the upcoming games announced for the 3DS, with titles like Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and Saint's Row it looks like it's going after the PSP audience, like it's saying, "you few PSPers left out there, we hear you and are ready to absorb you into our fold. We know how abandoned you are, so here are a few morsels of games to bring you over from that dead system to our living one."

I have no idea what a PSP 2 should be like... what should it have that would set it apart from an iPhone or DS? Yes, 2 analogue nubs, great graphics, touchscreen, well-rounded media capabilities. But what would position it to succeed more than the PSP? I don't know.

And it looks like Sony has no idea either.


later
don

TiltFX for PSP (1000-3000)

Hey, this is cool. Datel is coming out with a motion sensor for the PSP! Called TiltFX, it's a little dongle that plugs into the headphone/remote port of the PSP-1000/2000/3000.... sadly, not compatible with the PSPgo.

[EDIT]: I was thinking about it... remember, the PSP-1000 has a *DIFFERENT* headphone remote jack than the PSP-2000/3000. They are different shapes; the PSP-2000/3000 port is a bit longer & narrower. Seeing as how the device seems to be demonstrated on a PSP-2000, I wonder if it's PSP-2000/3000 only, and not PSP-1000 as is being reported.

[EDIT 2]: Seems that there is a version for PSP-1000. Hit up the TltFX site, and you can order either PSP-1000 or PSP-2000/3000 version of the dongle.


[Joystiq article link]

The dongle seems relatively small, though it does cover up both the headphone & remote port so as far as I can tell, can't use headphones with this thing. But the control seems to be not bad, as demonstrated in the video:





later
don

Playing PSP games on TV

The last few days have sorta been a "re-awakening" for my PSP.... it's not like I haven't used it for a long time and just recently started using it-- I've been using my PSP daily for the last several weeks-- but I suppose it's mostly to catch up on taped TV shows, or music... not a lot of gameplay since Resistance: Retribution.

But now that I can play PSP games on my TV through the Television de Portable P2, it's been a great novelty that's a bit of a fresh take on my classic PSP game faves. One of my favourite games is Twisted Metal: Head On, and I think it looks great on a TV screen. I want to go through all my top PSP games.... my PSP is not only my favourite handheld, it's now my fave home console too.... if I could only have 1 console of any kind, it'd be my PSP hands down, since I can play it on my (non-HD) TV and take it with me as well as use its multimedia functions.

One odd thing I've noticed is that I now set my PSP video output to Progressive. But even when I'm using the composite AV cables, it displays just fine with my PSP set to Progressive. I wonder, why do they even have an Interlace setting?

Still, I'm happy I have my other consoles too. Actually, I've been playing a lot of Boom Blox (Wii) lately. Great puzzle game.

I guess we're heading into the "off season" for new game releases? Sure seems like a slow period for games of every console-- or at least Wii, DS & PSP. This is where my "squirreling away"; my stockpiling of games should come in handy.... I have a bunch of games I've bought and haven't even touched.... should tide me over the next few months? Plsu there are games I want that I haven't bought yet, just waiting for good price drops on-- hoping Deadly Creatures (Wii) will drop in price soon.....


later
don

Television de Portable P2

3 weeks ago I saw this at Play-Asia.com: It's called Television de Portable P2, and it claims to allow PSP-2000 to play GAMES on a non-progressive TV! It was discounted from like $80.00 to $19.90 U.S. (+$9.00 shipping) At that price, I had to bite!

It took almost 3 weeks to ship to Canada... which is slower than I'm used to with Play-Asia (they usually take 2 weeks). In fact, I was starting to get worried... I was ready to fire off an email to them just to make sure everything was ok, but then I got the package this morning.

Most of the text is in Japanese, which I neither speak nor read. I can understand "PSP-2000" though :)

It seems fairly straightforward; there's a composite video, S-Video, L & R audio plugs. So you can choose to use either composite (yellow) video or S-video cable.

Inside the package is very minimal, 2 pamphlets in Japanese (instructions). the Television de Portable P2 has a wire that splits into PSP video hookup & power adapter... those go to this rectangular dongle that looks about the size of a Zippo lighter. Then the wire leads from that to the tv hookups.

On the rectangular dongle, there's an adapter port that takes your PSP adapter. It needs to be plugged in for the device to work. What's nice is that it has the pass-through cable so you can hook your PSP up to the adapter while you're playing through the P2.

One concern is that the PSP adapter plugged into the Television de Portable P2, that little retangular dongle gets *HOT*, very quickly. There's a nice blue LED that shows when the PSP adapter is plugged in, but you don't want to leave it plugged in when you're not using it.

So as to how it works.... you plug in the composite cables, plug the PSP adapter into the Television de Portable P2, and set your PSP-2000 to "progressive" video, and it works.

The Television de Portable P2 cable is about 9 ft long. Comparing the signal & picture quality to my official Sony AV (composite) cables, which I extend using some RCA extenders I bought from the dollar store (cost about $4.00 for 2 of them... yay for Dollar Stores!)

I'm using a 27" CRT TV.

NOTE: You will see some moray pattern effects on the tv screen, this is mostly due to the camera/CRT TV, not necessarily visable in real life.

This is the official AV cables:

This is the Television de Portable P2. Picture quality is a bit more faded:

I booted up my favourite game, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. The colour doesn't seem bad, but the loading screen text is blurry, and very hard to read.

(I don't believe that moray pattern in that picture was visible in real life. Keep in mind that some blurriness is due to my camera.)

As with the regular component gameplay, there's a black border around the image, making the actual image quite small in comparision. On my 27" TV, I have to sit pretty close to it to really play any games on my PSP.

The picture quality isn't terrible, but it isn't sharp enough for small details, like small text. I'm assuming that it isn't much better for PSP-3000's composite TV gameplay, as any mention of it by forum posters usually goes like, "Yah my PSP-3000 plays games on my regular tv KTHX BYE" . I could be wrong, it may be a bit sharper but I suspect the limitations of an interlaced, non-HD TV can only show so much with a PSP game signal. Still, it is a bit disappointing. I really wanted gameplay on my regular TV, and it's the feature I was most envious about PSP-3000.... I *almost* bought a core PSP-3000 yesterday, and now I'm kinda glad I didn't. It's probably best to wait to upgrade my TV to an HD, LCD that can possibly zoom the PSP gameplay image so it isn't so small with the borders.

Still, I think Television de Portable P2 is worth it, if you only have a PSP-2000 and really want to play games on your non-HDTV. As far as I know, there aren't any other options out there, other than buying a PSP-3000. So it's cool.

UPDATE: I just tried the S-video output, and the picture was noticibly improved! The smallest text was still difficult to read, but most of the other text was much clearer.

Pros:

• +allows PSP-2000 to play games on a non-HD TV!!!!!
  
  
• +PSP AC adapter pass-through that allows PSP to charge/run on external power while playing Television de Portable P2.
  
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
• -picture quality isn't as good as it should be.
  
  
• -Television de Portable P2 needs to be plugged in to the PSP AC adapter to work, and it gets really hot while it is.
  
  
• -hard to find.
  
  

Overall, I'm pretty darn happy right now with it! Gives me that one feature I really wanted with my PSP, the option to play games on my TV.

I got mine from here:

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-jd-49-en-70-2r0t.html

Thanks for reading! Hope you found this review informative.

later
don

PSP paperclip stand

Hmmm.... I'm finding myself on guard duty, trying to keep a nasty Northern Flicker (woodpecker) from enlarging a hole in the side of my house that it's currently obsessed with. Luckily, I have my PSP loaded with tv shows I haven't watched, like last week's ep of 24.

But I want to eat too. I can't hold both the PSP and my plate & fork. So my PSP is wedged as best I can to watch it, while I juggle between stuffing my face & trying to get the best viewing angle.... not an ideal situation.

If only the PSP-2000 had some decent stands. There must be a few out there, but there are far less accessories for the PSP-2000 than there are for the original PSP-1000.

It got me remembering this link I came across where someone made an iPhone stand out of a paperclip. I totally stole used the idea to try to make a PSP stand:













I'm a bit surprised that it works.... I wouldn't want to bump it or move it too much, but it does seem to be fairly stable.

The tutorial for the iPhone paperclip stand is pretty good, much better than my pics. Worth checking out to get a good idea of how to do something like this.

Now if I could only figure out what to do about that damn bird.....



later
don

Invisible Shield: Not as good as it used to be?

Gahh... I just cleaned off one of my white PSP Slims, I use a damp micro-fibre cloth. And it's caused some micro-scratches to show up on the Invisible Shield screen protector.


My 2 PSP Slims have newer Invisible Shield (post-ZAGG takeover) screen-only protectors and my PSP-1001 has an older Invisible Shield protector that covers the front faceplate (pre-ZAGG takeover) since the old PSP-1000's have an unbroken surface between screen and faceplate, that's why I went with the full Shield.

A few things I've noticed about the newer Invisible Shields-- they don't seem as good as my first one bought in 2006. That one did have a problem with the analogue nub butting against the cutout; I had to actually peel away some of it so it looks kinda rough around that area.

But other than that, the PSP-1001 Invisible Shield is just a smoother, flatter protector than these new ones.

My other PSP Slim also has the annoying micro-scratches on the Invisible Shield. I didn't clean this one for a long time... maybe not even ever.... and there were no scratch problems. I wasn't sure it was because of the wiping that caused the scratches, but now I know. Which is damn odd, because I'm using a MICRO-FIBRE cloth, specifically made *not* to cause scratches on ultra smooth surfaces (these are for glasses) I've used the same kind of cloths to clean my PSP-1001 Invisible Shield screen protector, and no scratches on that. At least not noticible ones.

The micro-scratches on my Slims screen protectors are really noticible when the PSP screen is showing light things like an outdoor afternoon scene or brightly coloured games like LocoRoco 2. The scratches sort of reflect the light, which is bad.

So I have to conclude that Invisible Shield, a brand of screen protector that I really championed, has lowered its quality somehow. I suspect it's a manufacturing thing; they changed the Invisible Shield "formula" to something cheaper for them to make. That's annoying, they charge a premium for their protectors. Part of the cost goes towards their lifetime replacement guarantee (I wonder how much longer that's going to last...) It's great that I could get a replacement, but it's such a bother to install the things that I don't want to do it unless I HAVE to, y'know?

It's still not a bad screen protector; once it dries and sets for 3 days, there should be no bubbles-- they look like they were applied when the PSP was manufactured. Most of the time, they really are invisible. But they're just not as good as they used to be.

When it comes to the PSP, almost any screen protection is better than NO screen protection....

I'm wondering if I should just try out Best Skins Ever next time or what.



later
don

Odd PSP startup glitch

The weirdest glitch happened this morning when I started up my PSP Slim. Normally, when you turn it on, it does the music with the Sony logo, then goes right to the XMB with the wave background... I have mine set so as not to auto-start the UMD if there's one in there.

The music tone with the Sony logo came on, but then it went to a blank screen with only the wave background, no XMB icons! And the little corner circle that shows when it's loading something was running, but the UMD wasn't going, I could hear that it wasn't spinning. It just stayed like that, so eventually I held up the power switch for a long time, and the PSP did a "hard" turn off. I restarted it and it started up normally again.

In the 2+ years I've had PSPs, I don't think I've ever had that kind of error happen before. It's really strange.



later
don

PSP - Matthew Good Live at Massey Hall

So I picked up Matthew Good Live at Massey Hall today at Wal-Mart. I was surprised it was there, and that it was a lot cheaper than what I thought was the cheapest price at Future Shop-- $15.00 for the 2 CD set. Comparted to $17.00 at HMV. But at Wal-Mart it was less than $13.00! Nice! If Future Shop hadn't been out of stock, I'd have missed out on some (admittedly, small) savings. Still, savings is savings, y'know?

As soon as I had a chance, I finally got home & ripped the 2 CDs into mp3 format to put on my PSP and Sandisk Sansa E280 8GB mp3 player. What I really like about listening to music on my PSP is that it's nearly gapless playback, which is usually important for live albums, and usually VERY important for Pink Floyd albums. There is a SLIGHT gap, but normally it's so small as to be unnoticible by me unless I'm looking for it. My E280, while it's a more dedicated music player, put a lot more of a gap between songs. It actually wrecks listening to Floyd songs, which is a real downer.

As I was transferring the files to my PSP, I was thinking, the last few CDs I bought (I don't buy very much music because there are few albums I consider worth it) I actually haven't listened to them as CDs... that is, popped the CD in a CD player & listened to them that way. It's weird, but it's just so convenient to listen to them as mp3 files. So why do I buy CDs at all? Because I know that my CDs won't just stop working one day out of the blue for no reason at all. DRM files that have no physical copies only work at the whim of the "license holder", like Sony DRM games I paid REAL money for that one day decided to stop working on my PSP. Buying non-physical download-only content from incompetent sellers like Sony or iTunes is just like burning your money in the fireplace. It's only a matter of time, but you WILL be burned by them screwing up & not working.

PSP volume is one of the biggest drawbacks for it as a music player, like many Sony players, it's not very loud. The sound quality is pretty good though. There are other problems with PSP music features, like lack of on-the-go playlist. And it's big & bulky. Honestly I use my E280 a lot more when I'm out. But add the other media functions to the picture, and the PSP is still a great all-in-one device.


later
don

PSP Slim dead pixel

1 dead pixel doesn't seem like such a big deal. And if all you do with your PSP is play mostly darkly-lit action games, it isn't even noticible.

But I do more with my PSP(s) than just games... I watch lots of video, and look at photos... and that's when the 1 dead pixel can really annoy. It's a bit more than just the same as having a piece of dust on the screen, because even though it's "dead", it IS backlit. So it shows up more than dust does.

And as shown in the pic, WHERE that 1 dead pixel is can be really distracting.


Sigh... this is the exchange PSP Slim I got back from MTC, after they couldn't fix the original PSP Slim I sent them. I have 90 days warranty on it from them. I could send it back... but I've read horror stories of them in situations like this, so I dunno...

I don't know if I should just sell it or what....



later
don

PSP dead pixel

So, the PSP I got back after sending my broken one in has a dead pixel. It's very weird, because pixels are either dead (just go black) or stuck (stay a certain colour). But in this case, it would get stuck, but sometimes go back to blending in with the rest of the screen; work as normal, basically. I've never seen or heard of that before.

But I figure it was only a matter of time before it died and stayed permanently black.... and it looks like that's happened. Dead pixels are annoying, even if it's only one. You still notice it when watching video.

I've owned 5 PSPs, and 4 of them have had pixel or screen problems. 4 out of 5 PSPs. And the ONE PSP that didn't have screen problems is the one that had the UMD drive problem. Have I mentioned what a shitty company Sony is? Not today, I guess.

#1•PSP fat bought in May 2006, had 3 dead pixels, 2 were clumped together. I took it back a couple days later & exchanged it for another PSP.


#2•Replacement PSP has 1 blue stuck pixel. I decided to cut my losses & stick with it, who knows what the next exchanged PSP would've been like.


#3•PSP Slim bought Oct 9, 2007 (launch day for the Star Wars white PSP) no dead pixels, I was *so* shocked & happy.... then 3 months later, UMD drive started acting up.

#4•PSP Slim bought in July, 2008 (same white SW model) got it from Blockbuster video, which doesn't take returns AT ALL.... but I got it fairly cheap ($150.00) There's a speck of red paint or something underneath the screen. I know it's not a stuck pixel because I can see it when the PSP is turned off. It effectively looks/acts the same as a dead pixel though. I've barely used this PSP, so a pixel problem could show up down the road (part of why I'm afraid to use it much) so I'm not sure if I should sell it on eBay or what. I definitely don't need 2 PSP Slims.


#5•Replacement from the first PSP Slim I bought with the UMD troubles... my "main" PSP... now has a stuck pixel.


The PSP is notorious for having a really high dead pixel rate. I know that dead/stuck pixels can happen with ALL LCD screens, there are small rates of such in all LCD screens. But with the PSP, it's much higher than the average. Obviously it's still a problem even though they've come out with newer PSPs, the PSP-2000 (PSP Slim) and I'm sure the dead pixel problem will continue with the PSP-3000. Sony likes to cut corners.


The only upside to my latest dead pixel is that it came on gradually, easing me into the inevitablity of its demise. It still really bums me out though. I can only hope it doesn't get worse.



later
don

PSP repair: MTC Coquitlam

Update on my PSP repair. So, I mailed in my PSP Slim to MTC, which is a 3rd party repair depot that services Sony products in Canada. They have 2 depots, one in Ontario I believe, for the eastern part of Canada, and one in Coquitlam for the west, which is where I sent mine.





This is a video of my PSP with the problem:



(yeah that's my hand)

They have a web site where you can keep track of your repair status, so I kept checking in on how it was doing.

Coquitlam isn't that far from me, so I knew it would only take 1 day to mail it.

For 2 weeks, it said "Waiting for test"..... then in the 3rd week it changed to "Waiting for Exchange unit", (I think they were waiting for Sony to send them a replacement) then "Exchange unit picked"... and about 3 weeks after mailing it in, I got a PSP back!

I'm pretty sure it's not the same one I mailed, the serial number's different. I assume it's a refurbished PSP, but it feels like new. No scratches, the USB port is stiff like it's never been used... but it could still be refurbished I guess. They sent it back in the same box I mailed to them. There was no communication with them at all, but since they did what they were supposed to, guess there didn't need to be.

So for the last couple weeks, I've been "testing" my new PSP, being forced to make sure it's in good working conditions by playing games on it as much as I can... oh yeah, it's tough but I'm a trooper, hehe. Been playing Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron on it lots, because that game was malfunctioning on my PSP quite a bit before I sent it in (and it's my fave game) but I've also been playing games that use the UMD drive a lot, like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. So far, everything's good. [EDIT: Just found 1 dead pixel... popped up this morning, near the center of the screen. Crap... I knew I shouldn't've spoken too soon....]

When you buy a product from Sony, they have a 1 year warranty. I basically waited almost that year to send it in, and now my replacement model has a 90 day warranty. I kind of feel like I have 90 days to see if I can break it.... it works great now, but I'm always wary of refurbished product.

The PSP Slim, A.K.A. PSP-2000, is a bit of an advancement over the original PSP A.K.A. PSP-1000. But I'm sure that a big part of it was also for Sony to cut manufacturing costs. They replaced whatever they could that was metal with plastic, and the biggest change is the UMD disc door. On the PSP-1000, the door is spring loaded to eject, and there's a metal tray that holds the UMD firmly in place. Back in 2005, Sony was (rightfully) concerned with making their portable device play discs without skipping and can stand up to travel.

On the PSP-2000, the door is now manually opened, and there's no metal tray. The UMD just flops against the door until it's shut!





I'm not sure how common this UMD drive problem is with the PSP Slim... but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a higher than normal failure rate. When you think about it, it's only been out for a bit more than a year. I suspect a lot of people put up with it. Unlike my original PSP door, which is tight when closed, the PSP Slim doors move quite a bit, they jiggle. That can't be good. Definitely feels cheap.

I think the PSP Slim isn't quite as sturdy as the old PSP. It's just another reason why I've grown to *HATE* Sony, particularly their PlayStation division. I *LOVE* the PSP, but I hate Sony, they're really degrading their quality, and driving what was once a good PlayStation brand, into the ground.

My original PSP was bought in May 2006, and it still works fine 2 years later. My PSP Slim started malfunctioning 3 months after I bought it in Oct 2007... so I wonder how long this replacement will last. And with the PSP-3000 coming out in a couple months, I wouldn't be surprised if Sony found another way to cut their costs and skimp on some more quality.



later
don

PSP-3000 announced

Today Sony confirmed the rumour of a new PSP model is true, they are releasing the PSP-3000.

It looks like a very slight modification to the current PSP-2000 (PSP Slim) design; the HOME button is now a PS-logo button, and there's a built-in microphone. The other announced feature (as of this writing) is that the screen is supposed to be glare-reducing, making it easier to see outdoors. PSP-3000 also allows games to be played on non progressive-scan (non- HD) tvs (PSP Slim can only play games on HD tvs)

Ugh. Basically this is still the PSP Slim, with a mic added in (presumably for Skype) and overall, that's both good & bad.

Good - it doesn't really alienate current PSP Slim users, and all the PSP Slim accessories (what few there are right now) should still all be compatible.

Bad - why bother making such tiny changes? Just come out with a whole new PSP with 2 analog nubs, and major improvements over the current system. If you really want a new PSP model, make it a new generation of PSP already.

I am not impressed with Sony releasing a new PSP model less than a year after the previous PSP Slim, with only very minor changes. This follows the Apple trend with iPods, and maybe Nintendo's history of (Gameboy series) handhelds too... but as a customer, I think it's very wrong for companies to do this, it just screws us over. Pisses me off.

The only new feature I can use out of that list is the glare-reducing screen. I like that idea because you really can't look at the PSP screen outdoors. It gets washed out, even on an overcast day.

EDIT: an article at IGN just stated that the PSP-3000 will allow gameplay on non-HD tvs! Now *THAT'S* a feature I REALLY want, as I use the video out feature on my current PSP Slim quite a bit. It's just awesome to be able to playback movies on my tv, you can watch with friends, etc.... but I can't play games because I don't have a progressive-scan (HD) tv.

This is just me wildly speculating, but I think that we'll see the previous PSP Slim colours (white, red, etc) but without the Darth Vader or Kratos artwork on the back. But I'm sure they'll have other models with artwork on the back of some kind.

Integrating the mic into the system, and the PS logo on the HOME button might be a sign they're going to do something big with those. But then again, it could just be the PSP Slim's version of the IR* (on the old PSP)....

Joystiq's PSP-3000 gallery



*for those who don't know, there was an IR port on the original PSP-1000 (PSP fat) model. Sony never figured out a use for it, so it just went away with the PSP Slim.



later
don

sending in PSP for repair

So.... I just finished boxing up
my PSP Slim to ship it out tomorrow to get it serviced.

I bought my Darth Vader white PSP Slim the day it came out, Oct.9, 2007. I was pretty amazed how light & good it felt over my old one.

But since early this year, I've been having this problem with the UMD drive; when I have a disc in but not playing, the drive would start up
randomly, even though I was doing other things like watching video or listening to music off of the memory stick. Basically the drive was "resetting", it's thinking that the drive door is being opened and a new UMD is put inside, so it starts up again... at random.

This seems like it might be a minor inconvenience, but it does it while I'm playing a game. So what happens is that the grey "Do you want to quit the game?" screen will pop up in the middle of playing, at random.

I taped a snippet of it, this is my PSP:





It's been getting worse & worse, and now it basically happens almost all the time.

I finally broke down & called Sony last week about it. The 1 year warranty covers Canada, but it's not the same program as in the U.S. In the U.S., if you need to send in your PSP I think Sony sends out a mailing box for you to send it in, then they replace your PSP with a refurbished one. I assume they fix your PSP and send it to the next guy who sends in a broken PSP.

But in Canada, they have a 3rd party repair depot that fixes PSPs, and presumably sends the same one back to the owner. I have to pay to ship it to them, then they pay to ship it back to me. They don't send me no box! Oh well.

So I've tried to box it up as carefully as I could, I wrapped it up in layers & layers of packing paper, and tried to make sure nothing jiggles around in the box. I hope it arrives ok, I did write "fragile" on the box but knowing Canada Post, I'm sure they'll ignore that.

I took off my Invisible Shield screen protector. Since putting one on my first PSP, this has been my go-to brand of screen protector. They have a lifetime replacement policy, you send back the old one & they apparently send you a new one. But I've never had reason to take off the IS on my old PSP, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go. It went pretty well. It's like a thick sticker, I was surprised how securely it stuck to the screen as I peeled it back. There was no residue left on the screen either, which many people have concerns about. So I'll have to mail that back to them eventually.

I also included a CD-R with the above video, and gave them the YouTube link if they need to see what the problem is (in addition to me telling them in the letter)

The turnaround is supposed to be about 7 business days... so I figure at least 2 weeks. Man.
I really love my PSP. Like REALLY LOVE it. It's my favourite console, because it does so much more than gaming. I originally bought my first PSP in 2006 as an mp3 player primarily, with games being secondary. But I never realised how cool & multi-functional the PSP was, and I've used it almost every day since May 2006.


I hope they fix the problem & it comes back to me as good as new. Worried.......



later
don

white PSP slim battery covers review w./pics

:::Note: originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 05-20-2008:::

I just got a 2 pack of battery covers from deal extreme today... it's this package:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12375

in the 2 pack one is a regular slim cover, the other being for the extended fat PSP battery.

I have to say, the slim cover looks really great! This is at night when I'm looking at it, but I've been looking at it under a bright lamp and it looks exactly the same shade of white as the PSP slim! It looks pretty much exactly like the regular slim battery cover except no Darth Vader. The only difference I can see so far is no Sony logo.

EDIT: Looking at it in the daytime, I can sort of see a VERY SLIGHT difference in whiteness. Maybe it's because I know it's not the original cover... but it's only if I stare at it fro awhile that I can even notice anything. It doesn't look out of place.

However, the extended battery PSP cover..... is a total piece of crap!! It DOESN'T FIT PROPERLY. I can't even get both teeth to go into the groove, so one side is not properly fitted on, and not only is there a gap, but the lock doesn't close properly. It could very easily fall off. DO NOT USE.

slim cover = great

extended cover = complete junk

But for $3.00-$4.00 or so, it's totally worth getting just for the slim cover alone, if you really hate the Darth Vader image. Me, I *love* the Darth Vader back on my PSP Slim, it's one of the reasons I bought it. But I know a lot of people want a white PSP Slim, but want a plain back, so for those people, this cover is the answer to their prayers.

There is a bit of a gap on one side, but it's exactly the same gap I have with the official Vader cover:

The other side looks great, again, looks the same as the official Vader cover:

All these pics are of the non-Vader cover seen in pic 1.

later
don

DealExtreme PSP battery cover review

:::originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 11-27-2007:::

So, a review of the dealextreme PSP Slim battery cover.


As found at this link, they sell a battery cover for the PSP-2000 (PSP Slim), that allows it to cover a PSP-1000 (PSP fat) battery.

By the way, I'm using a Invisible Shield brand screen protector on my PSP Slim.





The price was pretty cheap, I paid $3.66 CANADIAN, it's a little bit more than that in U.S. funds^_^

They sent me a cofirmation email the day after I placed my order. it took a week for them to send me an email telling me they shipped it. And 2 weeks after that to actually get it. 3 weeks from order to arrival... kind of slow. (Keep in mind this is to Canada) but the shipping is free.



The packaging is basic, as you can see there's not even anything printed on the back.




Luckily the bubble packaging is not sealed, so it's easy to slide it open. The inside of the covers are a little sticky & have a bit of gunk on them:



I took a kleenex & tried to wipe it off but it left kleenex residue over it. Kinda gross. You can see a bit of the laminating spray on the inside, but it's not like you're gonna see any of this when the cover is on your PSP.

On the outside, the covers look great. They're glossy, meant to blend in & emulate the gloss of the PSP-2000.



obviously, these ones only come in black, wish I could get a white cover, but I'll wait for the official Sony one to come out. I have faith....

Comparing my PSP-2000 cover to the fat one: since my cover is white, it's hard to see in the pic, but the hooks & connections look very much the same between the 2 covers.




My PSP-1001 battery in my PSP-2001:



And with the new cover on:











The new cover fits really nicely. It actually fits more snugly than my official cover!

As can be seen, there's a bulge similar to the old PSP-1001, which makes the PSP Slim feel slightly lopsided... but it's not that bad. Also, the PSP Slim does feel a bit heavier with the old battery in it.

But the tradeoff in extra power could make it very worth it:



This is my old 1800 maH PSP-1001 battery. There should be even longer life is using the 2200 maH Stamina battery. Again, I'm going to wait til Sony makes an official cover available. But for now, this is nice.



later
don

UMD carrying case/pouch review

:::originally posted on the Playstation Underground PSP forum 12-29-2006:::

Awhile ago I bought this UMD carrying case/pouch. It holds 8 UMDs.

It's really nice looking soft case with lots of little stylish touches, but I was disappointed by the UMD holder sleeves inside.

This is one of 2 recent UMD cases that are "officially" licensed by Sony, they showed up at my local Toys R Us just before xmas.

It's a clamshell design; it unzips to reveal plastic UMD sleeves inside. The body of the case is a nylon material similar to camera cases. It's somewhat stiff, but still soft... you wouldn't want to have this case squished under a ton of textbooks or anything heavy like that.

On the outside, the PSP logo & Playstation logo are prominent & look very cool. The PS logo is even on the zipper handles! Nice. There's a carabiner clip for hooking it to a bag or a belt.

On the back is another zipper pocket, it looks like see-through mesh, but it isn't. It's a nice pocket, but very small... you could probably only fit 2 memory stick pro duos. Not your headphones, maybe even not a cleaning cloth.

Inside, there are 4 plastic sleeves that hold a UMD on each side (holds in total 8 UMDs) this is the weakest part of the case. The plastic sleeves are really thin & flimsy. The backing of the sleeve is this coarse paper-like material that looks & feels like a Bounce dryer cloth (only without the waxy feel of course) it's pretty much the same type of material used in cheap CD holder sleeves. I was really hoping for an acordian-like set of pockets for the UMDs.

Because the sleeves are so thin, they don't offer any kind of cushion between UMDs. So when you're flipping through your discs, it's easy to have them slap against each other. UMDs aren't exactly the most durable things, so you don't really want that.

Pros:

-it's lightweight
-stylish looking

Cons:

-wouldn't protect UMDs against being crushed
-sleeves are cheap & flimsy
-bulky design

later
don